Full fashioned knitting machine



June 1l, 1957 K. HowlE 2,795,122

FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll-lllllllllllllllllllllll i'gj INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 11, 1957 K. HowlE FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1954 ,NAW H W. m

` BY 74% fw ATTORNEY nited States Patent A 2,795,122 FULL FASHKIONED KNITTING MACHINE f Kenneth Howie, Norristown, ro. Application June 29, 1954, Serial No. 440,097

1,2 claims. (ci. s6- 109) This invention relates to full fashioned knitting machines of the Cotton type and aims particularly to improve the stitch forming mechanism of such machines. Knitting machines of the Cotton type, knitting womens stockings of 66 gauge, vordinarily produce about one The The said needle breakage is most often occasioned by the lateral bending of a needle, under strain from a selvedge yarn, during either the knitting or the narrowing cycle, so that as it rises from between the knockover bits, its head strikes against the underside of a sinker or divider. An object of the present invention is to provide means for reducing -or eliminating such needle breakage.

Another cause of spoiliage also attributable to lateral deliection of a needle is a failure of one of the narrowing points to properly engage in the eye of its associated needle during the taking of the stitches from the needles. When this failure occurs, the beard of the needle may be pressed into the eye, While the tip of the narrowing point is spaced away from the needle. stances, the yarn loop surrounding that needle is cast olf the needle without being picked up by the narrowing point, causing a runner. A further object of the present invention is to provide means for so aligning/the needles and narrowing points as to reduce or eliminate such casting olf. l

A further cause of spoilage or secondsis the rising of a needle on the wrong side of a sinker or divider during the narrowing operation, causing a hole to occur in the fabric at that point. A yfurther object of the present invention is to provide improvements for reducing or eliminating failure of the needles to rise properly between the sinkers and dividers.

Still another cause of spoilage is the pinching andV breaking of threads, especially when single strand, synthetic .fiber thread is` employed. One instance in which such pinching occurs is when Ithe needle, with a loop about its shank, starts to descend into the knockover bits. During this operation the -fabric is supported at its sinker wales on the knockover bits, and the needle wale loops therebetween are drawn down between the top edges of the knockover bits by the descending needles. As the needles descend, when the wide, eye carrying parts of the needles pass into the latter loops and into the spaces between the knockover bits, the yarn becomes pinchedbetween these elements and may be sheared by them. This is especiallytrue with single lament yarn which is not compressible between the metal parts as is a multi-filament yarn, because a l5 denier single filament yarn in elect is a rod about .0015. inch in diameter, whereas a denier yarn may comprise nine or ten filaments, each Under such circum-v ice having a diameter only equivalent to, say, that of a three denier yarn. A further object of the present invention is to provide improvements to reduce or eliminate such yarn pinching between the wide, eye carrying par-ts of the needles and the knockover bits.

The just mentioned pinching, in conventional machines, also occurs as the needles and narrowing points are lowering between the knockover bits during the taking of loops from the needles by the narrowing points, and the present y invention also aims to reduce or eliminate such pinching at this part of the narrowing cycle.

Another instance in 'which such pinching occurs is during the rising of the needles and narrowing points between the sinkers and dividers, as the loops are being returned from the narrowing points to the needles during embracing the narrowing points, -are forced up between the bottom edges of the sinkers and dividers as the narrowing points and Ithe relatively wide, eye carrying porn tions ofthe needles pass upwardly therebetween and are. subject to pinching between those elements. vAnother object of the present invention is to provide means for reducing or eliminating pinching at this part of the nar.

rowing cycle. y

More particularly, the present invention aims to provide novel forms of sinkers, dividers, or knockover bits, and novel combinations thereof, cooperable with the needles, the narrowing points, or both, in novel Ways, for supporting and aligning the same against lateral ilexure while at the same time providing clear-ance to accommodate and avoid pinching of yarns 4at regions, and preferably all regions, in which ysuch yarns lie between the sinkers, dividers,V or knockover bits on the one hand, and the wider portions of the needles or narrowing points on the other. lIn addition, the present invention aims to provide improved knockover bits better adapted for cooperation with fully automatic welt turners of the type illustrated in my prior Patent No. 2,379,527; and to provide improved constructions enabling fine gauge machines to use thicker sinkers, dividers and knockover bits, facilitating slotting of the knockover bar and sinker head, and prolonging the lives of the sinker head and sinkers and dividers. i

The invention herein disclosed resides in the new forms over bits lof a conventional full fashioned knitting machine.

iFig. 2 is a similar composite view of similar elements in a machine embodying the present invention.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diagrams showing respectively, the relation of the needles, yarn, and sinkers (or dividers) as the needles lower following the sinkering of the yarn; the relation between the needles, yarn and knockover bits as the needles continue to lower; and the relation of the Y needles, yarn and sinkers (or dividers) as the needles rise following knockover.

Figs. 6, 7 `and 8 illustrate some of thepossible modified formsv in which the invention may be embodied.

Fig. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic vertical section takenr y I, just back of the yarn notches as viewed in `Fig. `3, showing how the guiding portions of the sinkers and dividers aid in -aligning the needles and narrowing points or the like. v

In the present descriptionl the sinkers, dividers and knockover bits are generically termed yarn positioning elements, and the needles, )narrowing points-and other elements that enter therebetween to-effectoperations incident to the formationof the,l fabric are generically termedintervening or yarn Wn lanipulatingelements.

Referring to Fig. 1 (illustrating alpart ofja machine according to myPatentcNo. 1,982,991A with short nosed;

sinkers and dividers according to my copending application Ser; No. 218,949-filed'April3, 1951, nowPatent No. 2,692,488), the` central portion thereof shows in end viewfa portion of a set of knockover bits b with a portion of a set of sinkers .r and dividersd overlying said* knockover bits and vertically aligned therewith, and` witha portion of a row of spring beard needles N` vertically movable between said elements, side elevations of the working portions of said elements b, s, and d that lie adjacent the needles n being illustrated at the sides of the figure.

The sinkers s have the usual nose` sn, throat or yarn notchst, and brow sb; the dividers d have noses du, throats or yarn notches dt, brows db, yarn carrier clearance spaces dc and splitsds; and the spring beard needles n 'have the usual beard nb pressable into the eye ne formed, under the tip of the beard nb, in the relatively wide eye portion nw of the needle.

In such machines the sinkers and dividers and knockover bits are formed of relatively thin spring steel and are uniform in thickness (apart from any reinforcement of the sinkers at their butts, remote from their working ends, as shown, for example, in Fig. 5 of my Patent No.

1,982,991 and in my copending application Ser. No.

372,253 tiled August- 4, 1953, now Patent No. 2,762,214). With such uniform thickness construction,y therefore, the spaces between the sinkers and dividers and the spaces between the knockover bits, are made considerably` wider than the width of the needle at the eye carrying portion uw. For example, a 75 gauge needle may be from .0085 to .0095 inch wide at the shank, from .01,2 to .013 inch wide at the eye, and from .0055 to .0065 inch wide at the head, and in such a machine the sinkers, dividers, and knockover bits may each be lfrom .0035 `to .0040 inch thick. It will thus be seen that with the 50 needles per4 inch required for 75 gauge the needle spacing, and hence the sinker and divider spacing, is .0200 inch, which spaces the adjacent sides of the dividers from .003 to` .0045 inch wider apart than the needles. to .0022 inch on each side of the needle isusually sufficient to accommodatek the yarn between the needle portion mv and the sinkers, dividers, and knockover bits, but since fty times'this space or nearly 0.2 inch is free space in each inch of the needle row, it is apparent that the needles are not supported and that the needles, and even adjacent sinkers and 'dividers or knockover bits, can be strained sidewise to a substantial extent, by a tight selvedge yarn for example, causing bendingof. the needles out of` alignment, `with ultimate needle breakage or failure of the needle to properly engage with a narrowing point or properly cooperate with awelt hook. Since with such line gauge machines a single thread l0 denier yarn is usually employed, having a diameter of about .001,2 inch it is apparent that the clearance of .0015 to .0,022 inch on each side of the needle cannot be appreciably reduced with conventional sinkers and dividers, and that accordingly, the support and guidance of the needlesrelative to the other elements can be but little improved in ysuch conventional machines. t

Thepresent invention, therefore, provdesan entirely new approach to this problem, by thickening the sinkers and dividers and/or thefknockover bits to virtually contact the sides of the needle portion n w (i. e. to clear the same by a distance much less than .0015 to .0022' inch,

This space of from .0015 V Cil for example, by a distance of the order of only .0005 inch, itself entirely insuflicient to accommodate a yarn) and then locally recessing or thinning the working portions of the thickened stitch forming elements at those parts thereof at which yarn comes into simultaneous juxtaposition to such elements and the widened eye portions of the needles.

Thus in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, again assuming a needle spacing, and corresponding spacing of adjacent stitch forming elements (a term herein used to designate either the sinkers and dividers, or` the knockover bits), of 50 to the inch, the needle N may have its eye carrying portion NW somewhat widened, if desired, and the sinkers S and dividers D and/ or knockover bits B may also be widened (preferably throughout their lengths which include in the case of the knockover bits the mounting portions thereof clamped in the slotted knockover bar KB by the clamping plate CP, but more particularly in their working portions, shown) reducing the clearances between the portion NW and the adjacent elements to about half a thousandth of an inch or less, compared to clearances of approximately four times this much, required by conventional machines. In other words, if the same needle width NW of 0.12 to .013 inch is used, the sinkers and dividers S and D and/or knockover bits Bmay be made 6 to 7 thousandth of an inch thick. instead of 31/2 to 4 thousandth of an inch thick, greatly increasing their resistance to lateral deflection. Or, if it is desired to use a thickness for such stitch forming elements of, say 5 thousandths of an inch, the needle width at NW can be increased to 14 thousandths of an inch.

Still referring to the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 2, in accordance with the present invention, the thickened sinkers and dividers and/ or knockover bits B, at places Where the yarn lies between the` eye carrying portion NW of the needle and the juxtaposed elements, are locally recessed, relieved, or thinned as generally indicated by reference symbols including the letter R.

In the form shown the knockover bits B, are reduced in thickness locally at their top edges, where` needle wale loops are drawn down between them and the needle portion NW, such reduction, in the form shown, being effected by locally thinning down such `top edges BT to a dimension affording suflicient'clearance at that point to accommodate the yarn, preferably by grinding away both faces of the bits B adjacent the top edges thereof at BR as shown. The particular form of grinding shown is` not essential, so long as the relief BR is afforded at the particular regions into which the yarn may be drawn.

Still referring to the form shown in Fig. 2, the sinkers, at their under sides SU are similarly reduced, as shown at SR1, to provide clearance for needle wale loops forced upwardly between them by the needle portion NW as the needles rise from between the knockover bits, and likewise, the dividers D adjacent their under edges DU, are similarly relieve-d, as at DRI.

Furthermore, in the form of Fig. 2, the sinkers S are additionally relieved, preferably by grinding clearance therein on b oth sides, adjacent to their yarn notches or throats ST, as shown at SR2; and in this form the' dividers are likewise relieved at thesame general location, as shown at DR2, the relief in each instance being not limited to the precise form shown, so long as it provides yarn clearance at those portions of the part against which yarn lies when the needle portion NW or other element subslantially lling the space between the stitch vforming elements is juxtaposed thereto.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the reliefs` .Ry do not extend` throughout the vertical heights ofthe working portions of the yarn positioning elements butuleavein such heights thickened guiding portions designatedfby reference symbols including the letter` Gf Thus'the reliefs in the knockover bits B, leave in such heights thickened guiding 5. portions BG that virtually contact the intervening element or elements and guide and laterally align the same. Similarly, the reliefs (severally and collectively referred to as SR- and DR) do not extend vertically throughout the height of the working portions of the sinkers and dividers S and D, but leave in such vertical heights thickened guiding portions SG- and DG-. In the case of the dividers, in the form of Fig. 2 the guiding portion DG1 extends on both sides of the split DS, and the guiding portion DGZ extends above the relief DRZ rearwardly from the divider brow along the yarn carrier clearance spaces DC, as is preferred. Stiffness is thereby impartedto the element both above and below the split DS and the guide portions DGZ are especially useful in guiding and aligning the narrowing points and needles to insure proper inter-engagement of those parts; In the case of the sinkers, in this form, the guiding portion SG1 stiffens the sinker nose SN, while the portion SGZ serves purposes generally similar to that of the portion DGZ. Since the sinker brow SB is at a higher elevation than the divider brow DB the relief SR2 may extend to a height slightly above the divider brow DB, if desired.

Under any of the conditions just summarized with reference to Fig. 2, even the slightest lateral bending of a needle lying between the so related stitch forming elements brings its portion NW into contact with a guiding portion -G of a relatively thick and stiff yarn positioning element and even if several needles and the intervening elements be drawn sideways, the motion permitted is so slight that the needle is hardly permitted to depart from accurate alignment. This means that when the deecting force is applied with the needle down between lthe knockover bits, the head of the needle is prevented from deflecting to a point where it can rise against the underside of a sinker or divider and be broken. The reliefs SR1 and DRl cooperate in this connection, by still further widening the space between the sinkers S and dividers D thus further insuring against a needle head NH risingV against the thinned under edge SU or DU of a sinker or divider.

Referring now to the operation of a' machine provided with each of the several improvementsV described in connection with Fig. 2:

When the rst course is laid and sinkered, if the machine is provided with a fully automatic welt turner as described in my prior Patent No. 2,379,527, the thinning of the upper edges of the knockover bits B at BR affords better clearance for the yarn as the wider eye carrying portion of the welt hook passes laterally of the needle at the stage of the welt hook engaging operation described in connection with Fig. 4 of that patent. In this connection, the knockover bits B, if desired, may have most or all of their relief BR at one side thereof as hereinafter described, the heavier portions BG being centered with respect to the needles, to more easily accommodate the welt hooks in the hooking up operation.

As each of the subsequent courses of yarn is being laid, the needles are in raised position. sinkerlng and dividing of the yarn in each instance, while the newly sinkered yarn is supported at the level of the sinker and divider throats ST and DT, the needles descend until their widened portions NW and the points of their beards NB are below that level. In'so doing the widened portions pass the newly sinkered'yarn, held at the level of the yarn notches ST, but the reliefs SR2 (and DRZ) accommodate the yarn at this time, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The needles continuing to descend, as their portions NW reach the fabric and start to pass into the spaces After the laying,

tween the top and bottom edges of the sinkers and dividers between the knockover bits B, they draw the needle are engaged in the relatively narrow heads NH of the needles (see Fig. 2) and hence can draw down over the heavy parts SG1 and DGl of the sinkers and dividers ywithout pinching.

After knockover, when the needles and new loops have been drawn clear through the fabric, as the needles rise, the fabric moves upwardly against the undersides of the sinkers and/or dividers S and D that are being employed to hold down the fabric, and the portions NW draw the needle loops upwardly between these elements, as shown in Fig. 5, the reliefs SR1 and DRI accommodating the yarn without pinching.

The needles then rise again to the position at which the next course of yarn is laid and sinkered, the aforesaid steps being repeated while the machine is operating on its knitting cycle, the guide portions BG in particular maintaining the centering of the needles during this operation and cooperating with the portions SR1 and DR1 to Vprevent the needle heads from rising against the underside ofa sinker or divider and becoming broken.

When the knitting of the welt is completed, and the welt hook engaged courses are to be returned to the needles (as described in connection with Figs. 8-11 of my Patent No. 2,379,527), the thickened guide portions SG, DG and BG, as will be evident, assist in bracketing the eye portion of the welt hooks and in accurately inter- `engaging them with the needles, and reliefs BR, SR1 and DRI prevent yarn pinching during the transfer.

Turning now to the narrowing opertion (see Fig. 9),

it will be appreciated that as the narrowing points P- are lowered between the sinkers and dividers, the guide ,t

portions SGZ and DGZ embrace and guide the same while the portions SG1 and DGI are embracing and aligning the needles N, thus assisting the accurate interfengagement of these elements. Then as the needles and narrowing points descend between the knockover bits, with the fabric lying on the latter, the reliefs BR accommodate the yarn loops as previously described. After the narrowing points havebeen traversed and reengaged to deliver their loops to the needles, as the needles and narrowing points rise and the sinkers and/ or dividers strip the ,loops downwardly from the narrowing points past the eyes of the needles, again the reliefs SR1 and DRI accommodate the loops without pinching as above described. It will be understood that the element P (Fig. 9), shown as a narrowing point, may be considered as representing any other intervening element to be engaged with a needle.

It has been mentioned above that it is desirable to thicken the yarn locating elements S, D and B throughout their lengths and then to provide the reliefs -R in the form of laterally Afacing recesses in the working ends thereof, into which a yarn may be pressed at the appropriate time by an ascending or descending yarn manipulating element. This mode of embodying the invention has further advantages, including the fact that the overall thickness of the yarn locating element facilitates the slotting of the knockover bar and of the sinker head to receive the elements (Wider slotting being much easier than narrower slotting), and increases the areas of sliding contact beand the bottoms of the slots in the sinker head in which they reciprocate, which slots are well illustrated in my copending application Ser. No. 372,253, and in Le Metier Cotton par Emile Noble, Edition La Maille, Paris, France, November 1930. Thus the thickening mentioned not only facilitates construction, but also facilitates lubrication, reduces wear, and increases the life of the relatively reciprocating parts.

Similarly, since the relatively heavy guide portions -Gv at the working portions of the yarn locating elements are the only portions usuallly brushed by the needles or other elements entering between r them, the thickening mentionedincreases the life ofithese elements and protects the thinned portions -R from contact withhother parts and from wear. In the form shown in Fig. 2 thedivider split DS being formed in a thickened portion presents a greater area to yarn drawn therethrough. Similarly the thickened brows SG2fSB and DC--DB present greater areas to the yarn when the yarn is laid and sinkered by the improved new method disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 218,949; and the thickened noses SG1-- SN and DGl-DNpreferably extending throughout the area over which the yarn is drawn during the draw down operation, likewise extend the life of the parts and reduce danger, ofeutting the yarn.

In contrast to the usuail needle breakage of from one and one-half to three needles in two eight hour days when knitting 66 gauge stockings with the `conventional arrangement exemplified in Fig. 1, a 75 gauge machine embodying the improvements herein described has been operated for over three weeks, 8 hours per day, with breakage of only one needle in this entire time. In this connection reference may again be made to the dimensions of a 75 gauge needle above set forth. With the eye thickness of .0l3 inch and clearance to the faces of the yarn positioning elements of .005 inch or less (.001 inch per needle), the yarn supporting elements may have overall thicknesses of up to .006 inch, and thus may be recessed on` each side to a depth adequate to house a yarn, even when the recessing extends to a yarn supporting edge of the element.

Thus in the form shown in Fig.,2, the relief SR2, DRZ extends clear to the notches or throats ST `and DT of the sinkers and dividers, but the overall thickness of the sinker or divider is sufficient to provide a thickness at the thinned throat adequate to resist wear over substantial periods of` use. However, if desired, the greater thickening can be extended to the throat areas as described thereinafter in connection with Figs. 6 and 7. The reliefs SR1 and SR2 in the form shown in Fig. 2 are advantageous to make, as they can be ground simultaneously merely by advancing the nose end of the sinker en'dwise under a grooved grinding wheel, and the same practice may be followed in forming the reliefs DRI and DRZ in the dividers. The exact point of termination of the reliefs remote from the throat and nose of the elements is not critical, but it is desirable to have the reliefs DSZwand DRZ'extend rearwardly of the divider splits DS so as to provide clearance into which an intervening element may press a selvedge yarn, in any arrangement in which this is necessary or desirable.

TheA reliefs BR in the knockover bits, in the form shown in Fig. 2, are easily formed by mounting the bits in arotating jig and rotating them past a grinding wheel. The depth of grinding is not overly criticail so long as the reliefs --R are sufficient in depth to accommodate the yarn concerned. Thus, with spacing from the sides of the needles to the guide areas SG and DG of say, only a half a thousandth of an inch, reliefs of three-fourths of a thousandth of an inch will accommodate a lO-denier single filament yarn V(diameter approximately '.0012 inch) without any appreciable pinching, andcorrespondingly` will accommodate larger yarns composed of numbers of filaments of considerably smaller size. When the yarn positioning elementis 5 to 6 thousandths of an inch thick, reliefs of a depth of .001 to .0015 inch may be provided without unduly thinning the contiguous yarn supporting edges of the element.

As above mentioned, the reliefs are preferably formed at every place where yarn falls between the wide eye carrying portion NW of a needle (or other intervening element) and an adjacent yarn positioning element, and extension of the reliefs beyond those areas or depths rcquired docs no harm as long as thicker guide arcas SG, DG, or BG are retained, and hence the invention is not limited to the particular pattern of reliefs shown in Fig. 2. Merely to exemplify some of the other possible patterns that may be employed, reference `may. be had to Figs. 6 to 8.

' terminates short of the tip of the knockover bit.

In the pattern of Fig. 6, the reliefs SR1 (and DRl) are terminated short of the nose NS (or DS) of the sinker or divider, and' are restricted more closely to the area into which needle loops may be elevated as described in connection with Fig. 5.` This somewhat strengthens the nose of the sinker or divider, but somewhat increases the difculty of grinding. Similarly, in this form, the relief SR2 (or DRZ) is in the form of a spot, preferably abraded either in the direction of or across the length of the sinker or divider, in slightly spaced relation to the yarn notch or throat ST (or DT), such location being applicable since the wide portion NW of the needle never rises and falls right at the yarn notch. This form, while a bit more difficult to grind than that of Fig. 2, has the advantage of thickening thev cross section at the yarn notch. It will benotedthat in the form of Fig. 6 the guiding areas SG1 and SG2 (or DGI and DG2) are merged more completely than in the form of Fig. 2.

ln the pattern of Fig. 7, the two arcas of sinker (or divider relief are merged into a single relief extending diagonally across the sinker (or divider) upwardly and rearwardly just back of its yarn notch ST (or DT). Such location places the lower end of the relief at the region into which needle loops are elevated, and positions the portion thereof proximate to the throat ST (or DT) where the needle portions rNW descend relative to the freshly sinkered and divided yarn. The inclination of the diagonal relief assures the location of guiding areas SG1 and SGZ (or DGI and DGZ) in all `locations in which such guidance is necessary ordesirable.

In ,the form of Fig. 8 the relief BR of the knockover bitsis more nearly limited to the areas at which needle loops may be drawn down lby the widened portions NW of needles, or other yarn manipulating elements, and Such relief may be ground either along or across the length of thebit, and may be. entirely confined to one side of the `bit if desired, as heretofore mentioned. As a rule, provision 'of the reliefs by grinding, rather than by other methods, is preferred.

Similarly, while it is preferable to employ the widened, stitfened and relieved construction in connection with all the ysets of yarn locating elements, i. e. in the sinkers, dividers, and knockover bits, and while in such comprehensive arrangement the parts mutually cooperate to produce results not attainable with widening and relief in one of the sets of elements alone, certain advantages can be attained in less comprehensive arrangements, and the same are therefore contemplated in the broader aspects of the invention.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention,

the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and` that allmodifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

I claim:

l.` A yfull fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles, sinkers, dividers and knockover bits; said needles having relatively wide eye carrying portions and narrower shank and head portions; said sinkers and dividers on the one hand and said knockover bits on the other` being of a thickness to virtually contact and guide said eye carrying portions with too little clearance between the latter and the planes of their side faces to freely accommodate a yarn, said knockover bits, at the regions adjacent their top edges into which Said eye carrying portions tend to push needle loops of yarn, being laterally recessed to provide clearance to accommodate said needle loops; said sinkers and dividers, at the regions adjacent their under edges into which said eye carrying portions tend to push needle loops of yarn being laterally recessed to provide clearance to accommodate such needle loops; and said sinkers and dividers just rearwardly of their throats, in the regions through which said eye carrying portions lower while the yarn is supported against the needles by said throats, lbeing laterally recessed to provide clearance to accommodate such yarn as said eye carrying portions pass the same.

2. A full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 1, sai-d machine including narrowing points, and the Working ends lof `said sinkers Iand dividers comprising full thickness portions adjacent the top edges thereof, as well as in lower portions thereof, :said full thickness portions adjacent said top edges virtually contacting l.and ali-gning the narrowing points fand the lower -full thickness portions virtually contacting and aligning the needles, for yaiding in interengaging the same.

3. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles, sinkers and dividers, and knockover bits; said need-les having relatively Wide eye carrying portions and narrower shank and head portions; said knockover bits for holding the needles in alignment with the spaces between the sinkers and dividers, being `of a thickness t-o embrace and guide said eye carrying porti-ons with too little clearance between such portions and the planes of their side faces to freely accommodate a yarn; a slotted bar in which said knockover :bits are mounted; said knockover bits, at the regions adjacent their top edges int-o which said eye carrying portions tend to push needle loops of yarn, being laterally recessed to provide clearance to accommodate such needle loops; and the knockover bits, at the portions thereof engaging in the slots in ysaid slotted bar, bein-g of the full thickness of the non-recessed portions thereof.

4. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles, sinkers, and dividers; :said needles having relatively wide eye carrying portions and narrower shank and head portions; said sinkers and dividers being of a thickness to virtually contact and guide said eye carrying portions with too little clearance between such portions and their side faces to freely accommodate a yarn; said sinkers and dividers, at the regions :adjacent their under edges, into which said eye carrying portions tend to push needle loops of yarn, being laterally recessed to provide clearance to .accommodate such needle loops.

S. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles, sinkers, and dividers; said needles having relatively wide eye carrying portions and narrower shank and head portions; said sinkers and dividers being of a thickness to virtually contact and guide said eye carrying portions with too little clearance between such portions and their side faces to freely accommodate a yarn; said sinkers and dividers, at the regions just behind their yarn notches, where said eye carrying portions have to pass the freshly sinkered yarn to bring it into the heads of the needles, being laterally recessed to provide clearance to accommodate such freshly sinkered yarn.

6. A sinker for a full fashioned knitting machine comprising a working end having a relatively thick body portion and having a relatively thin under edge portion, a part of said relatively thick body portion lying contiguous to the working edge of the sinker between the nose and yarn notch thereof.

7. A divider for a full fashioned knitting machine comprising a working end having a relatively thick body por'- tion and a relatively thin under edge portion, a part of said relatively thick body portion lying contiguous to the working edge of the divider between the nose and yarn notch thereof.

8. A divider according to claim 7, said divider having a split formed in said relatively thick contiguous part.

9. A divider for a full fashioned knitting machine comprising a working end having a relatively thick body portion and a relatively thin portion longitudinally contiguous to its throat, a part of said relatively thick body portion lying contiguous to the Working edge of the divider between the nose and yarn notch thereof, and said divider having a split formed in said relatively thick contiguous part.

10. A sinker for a spring beard needled'full fashioned knitting machine, comprising a working end having a relatively thick portion adapted to extend between t-he needles of the machine and guide the eye carrying portions thereof, and further having a relatively thin portion extending upwardly from its under edge at least in the area thereof traversed by the eye of a rising needle, a part of said relatively thick body portion lying contiguous to the working edge of the sinker between the nose and yarn notch thereof.

1l. A divider for a spring beard needled full fashioned knitting machine, comprising a working end having a relatively thick portion adapted to extend between the needles of the machine and guide the eye carrying portions thereof, and further having a relatively thin portion extending upwardly from its under edge at least in the area thereof traversed by the eye of a rising needle, a part of said relatively thick body portion lying contiguous to the Working edge of the divider between the nose and yarn notch thereof.

12. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles and narrowing points operating between sets of yarn positioning elements, said spring beard needles having relatively wide eye carrying portions with narrower shank andhead portions and said narrowing points having eye carrying portions of approximately the same width as the eye carrying portions of the needles, and at |least one of said sets of yarn positioning elements having in its working areas relatively thick portions cooperating with the eye carrying portions of the needles and with t-he eye carrying portions of the narrowing points for aligning the narrowing points with the needles, and said sot of yarn positioning elements having relatively thin portions at areas thereof at which yarn rlies between said portions of the narrowing points and the elements of said set during a portion of the narrowing cycle.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 

